


Steel and Snare

by JennaLee



Category: Rust (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Death, Kidnapping, M/M, Non-Consensual Touching, Rust AU, Threats of Rape/Non-Con
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:21:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28438284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JennaLee/pseuds/JennaLee
Summary: Sykkuno didn't expect to find himself a hostage at the hands of the most feared team in the land.[A Rust AU based on the in-game kidnapping and forced stripping of Sykkuno by xQc, Greekgodx/420, and Mendo.]
Relationships: Corpse Husband/Sykkuno (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 44
Kudos: 893





	Steel and Snare

**Author's Note:**

> Please heed the tags.

“What are you doing so close to our base?”

Sykkuno looked up through the blurry window of his protective hazmat helmet. It was hot out here with the sun glaring off the sand, but he kept the suit on as a precaution. He'd heard of others getting radiation poisoning from exposure to the hazardous materials in the tunnels. Who knew what he might come across while exploring? 

“Oh, hello,” Sykkuno said pleasantly. The man looked familiar. Sykkuno vaguely knew him as Mendo. He'd seen the man's code name on their global broadcast messaging system, but didn't know what team he'd joined. “I just got here like ten seconds ago.”

“You're on our turf.” Mendo fingered the rifle at his hip. “Our base is just over the hill.”

“Am I? I didn't know. I was looking for scrap.”

“So you're trying to steal from us?”

“No!” Sykkuno blurted, shocked. “Oh no, of course not. I didn't know this was your territory.”

“You didn't know?” The barrel of the gun lifted, pointing straight at Sykkuno's chest. “I think that's a lie.”

Sykkuno's heart was beating fast. He'd had guns pointed at him before, but he didn't like the way Mendo was looking at him. He swallowed. “I d-didn't...I swear, I-I'm just...please don't shoot. You can have the scrap back. I only picked up two pieces.”

Two more men were approaching, guns up, their footsteps cautious. Sykkuno had guns too, in his carry-all bag, but no ammo. “I'm not armed,” Sykkuno pleaded when he saw them. “I'm just looking for supplies.”

“Who is that?” A voice Sykkuno didn't know. “What team is he from?”

“I'm with the neutral team at J10,” Sykkuno answered him timidly.

“Neutral team? There is no neutral team. Not here.”

Sykkuno was getting nervous now. “I haven't killed anyone. I promise. I j-just got here.”

The men glanced at each other. “It's Sykkuno,” Mendo said. “The arms dealer. The peacekeeper.”

“Is it? Interesting.” 

“Prove it,” the other said. “Take off your helmet.”

Sykkuno took a step backward and ended up against the wooden fence. “What's going on? I just got here. I didn't know...I'll leave right now, I promise.”

The third man stepped forward and took off his helmet.

Sykkuno's heart dropped. He knew that face. He knew it very well.

The man known as xQc. The psychopathic murderer. He went by Goblin on the broadcast system, but everyone knew who he was. Sykkuno swallowed and pressed himself against the fence, desperately thinking of a way out of this.

“Please,” he said, his voice cracking. “Please, I'm neutral, I _swear_ – ”

“He told you to take off your helmet.”

Sykkuno couldn't see any reason to refuse. Three guns were pointed at his chest now. Shaking, he reached up and pulled off his helmet. When he set it at his feet, Mendo took it and smiled.

“Thanks. We could always use more of these.”

“It's all yours.” Sykkuno felt like crying. He tried not to let it show. Trembling, he hugged his arms around himself. Goblin/xQc still hadn't spoken, but had their message broadcasting unit out, typing with a gloved hand. “You guys aren't going to hurt me, right?”

“Hey, hey.” Mendo smiled. “You know me, right? You know me, I'm a good guy. I saved you before.” 

“I...I remember.” _He didn't save me. He just wanted to kill the other team more than he wanted to kill me._ “Thank you.”

“Yeah, see, you trust me, right? We know each other. I know you're a trustworthy guy. People like you. Let's say you walk over to your teammates and say 'hey, how about you give everything you stole back to xQc, and call off the attempted murders.' They might listen to you, right?”

“I...I didn't know they stole anything.”

“They stole his guns. His best sniper. And then they tried to kill him with it.”

“Isn't he...holding a sniper?” Sykkuno barely knew what he was saying anymore. He knew what his teammates had done. _They were under attack. It was justified._

“Well, he has another one. He lost others.”

Goblin looked irritated. Beneath his lank blond hair, his eyes were cold and hard. “Okay,” he broke in. “Sykkuno, you're a hostage, I'm sorry.”

“A hostage?” Sykkuno's voice cracked. “I-I swear, if you let me go, I'll – ”

“Sorry,” xQc said again, his voice flat. “It is what it is, man. You just got here at the wrong time.”

“I don't even know what's happening!” Sykkuno cried, tears welling in his eyes. “I don't want to be a hostage, I don't want to be involved, _please!_ ”

“Listen, if you're not willing to be a hostage, you're gonna be a cadaver.”

Sykkuno knew he wasn't kidding. He'd watched xQc kill in cold blood. The man was known to be merciless. Corpse had warned Sykkuno about him over and over. Even Corpse put aside his rivalry with Brooke when it came to fighting against xQc's team.

“Please,” Sykkuno begged. “Please, I didn't do anything, I promise. I...we're friends, aren't we, Goblin? I helped you...I'll make you something. I'm an arms dealer, I craft guns, I could – ”

“We're friends?” xQc looked bemused. “When did that happen? Your teammates robbed me, Sykkuno.”

“I don't know anything about that.”

“You chose the wrong team. Now you have to suffer the consequences.”

“I'll tell them,” Sykkuno said. “My teammates, I'll tell them to return everything, just let me go talk – like Mendo said – I'll go talk to them...”

xQc ignored him. “Put your bag on the ground.”

Sykkuno did. He'd spent hours and hours gathering supplies, and his bag was full to bursting, but he did. It was only supplies. They could be replaced.

“Now look at your messenger, Sykkuno.”

He did that as well.

 **GOBLIN** : _We have Sykkuno._  
**GOBLIN** : _we have him hostage._  
**GOBLIN** : _im not kidding._

Two of his teammates had already replied. 

Ludwig had immediately written, _what do you want?_ Almost at the same time, Rae had scrawled out her confusion. Sykkuno's lip trembled as he thought of his friends back at their base, at their peaceful little village. They'd worked so hard on their village. All they wanted to do was survive. They didn't want to participate in raids or murders. They just wanted to be left alone.

 _YOU GUYS STOLE SYKKUNO?_ Rae again. And from there, a flurry of messages began flooding in. Timmy, Shroud, Wendy, Alexia, Hannah – people not even on Sykkuno's team – were all freaking out. Some were already declaring war. Some were offering everything they had.

“What do you want from my team?” Sykkuno asked in a small voice. “They'll give you whatever you want.”

“I want what was stolen from me.” xQc smiled dangerously. “I want my stuff back. That's all I ever wanted.”

“They'll give it back to you if you ask. I'll ask. I swear, they'll – ”

“I've been asking nicely long enough.” xQc stepped closer, his gun barrel touching Sykkuno's chest. “Now they'll get what they deserve.”

His lackeys, 420 and Mendo, grinned at each other.

The messenger in Sykkuno's hand buzzed again. He looked down at the screen.

 **Corpse Cat** : _Goblin, you're a dead man if you touch him. We're coming._

Sykkuno's heart ached. _No, Corpse, don't be mad, stay calm. He'll kill you if you make him mad._ He loved Corpse. He even shared a cabin with him, their sleeping bags side by side. Sykkuno had only known the man for a couple of months, but he'd never met anyone so wonderful. Corpse was funny, and sweet, good on a mission, reliable in a firefight, protective of his teammates, especially Sykkuno, Ash and Rae. He enjoyed the little things in life, like riding horses, his laughter echoing over the fields of crops as Sykkuno harvested wood and stone. Sometimes, late at night by the flickering light of the furnace, Sykkuno would look at his rugged handsome face and wonder what it would be like to kiss him, to crawl into the other man's sleeping bag and press their bodies together. And sometimes, he'd roll over to find Corpse looking at him, his strong features soft and full of want.

“Tell him, Sykkuno.” xQc smiled. “You said you'd ask them for us, right? Write in your messenger. Tell them you're safe, but that they need to bring me back what they stole. I want all of their guns, too. Everything they have. Everything. And in exchange, I'll return you, unharmed.”

Sykkuno couldn't see any way out of it. He obeyed, his fingers trembling on the keys.

“Good. Thank you, Sykkuno.” xQc pushed his blond hair out of his eyes and looked around the barren landscape. “I'll make the preparations. Mendo, Greek, get him to the fort and secure him. I'll be there soon.”

Sykkuno's arms were seized roughly. The men started to drag him across the ground, his boots kicking up dust as he scrambled to keep up. “Where are you taking me?”

“You'll find out.”

“I'll walk,” Sykkuno tried to say, wincing at the pain of their iron grip. “I can walk, I won't go anywhere.”

“Shut up.”

Sykkuno did.

They walked for a long time, Sykkuno stumbling over rocks and shrubs as they pulled him along too quickly. The sun beat down on them from a hazy sky. He saw towers and barren land, parched crops and a swampy pond. The bushes were splattered with rust-coloured blood. It wasn't anything like his own base. It was a nightmare. A battleground. They passed bodies, half-rotted and swarming with flies. 

Sykkuno didn't want to look in case he recognized somebody. The smell made him sick. _Why didn't I listen to Rae and stay home?_

They marched him through a fortified gate, with barbed wire topping the fences and mounted cameras everywhere. Their base had none of the rustic warmth of Sykkuno's. The buildings were metal, utilitarian, with slits for snipers to fire from. Sykkuno was dragged toward a smaller building, with the characteristic angled doorway to prevent an attack from outside. Inside, it was just as cold as the cruel exterior. Plain lockers and chests lined the walls. There was a smelting furnace, just like Sykkuno had, and a research table covered in blueprints. In the far corner, there was a row of identical beds.

“Home sweet home,” Mendo said, stuffing Sykkuno's loot into one of the cupboards. 

Sykkuno's messenger was still in his hand. He looked down at the screen.

 **Valkyrae** : _We're gathering everyone now. We're coming. We have your stupid guns, Goblin._  
**Ash** : _Hold on, Sykkuno._  
**Corpse Cat** : _Don't be scared, Sy. We'll get you out of there._

Sykkuno felt tears welling in his eyes as he thought of Corpse. He wished he was back in his cabin, wrapped up tight and warm in his sleeping bag that Ash had made for him, listening to Corpse snoring faintly.

“Aw, isn't that sweet. They're all so worried about you.” Mendo smiled. “What is it about you that makes everyone feel so protective?”

“I know,” 420 said. “It's that pretty little face. So innocent and sweet.”

Mendo laughed. “That's what Corpse likes, anyway. That's what I heard.”

Sykkuno's head jerked up. “What?”

“Oh, don't play stupid, Sykkuno. We all know the two of you are in _love_.” 420 said it mockingly. “What else could make that man follow you around like a puppy?”

“We're friends. Teammates.”

“Teammates that sleep beside each other, all snuggled up at night.”

“It's not like that. He...he doesn't have his own base, so he shares mine.”

420's teeth gleamed when he grinned. “Oh, I'm sure. You're just an innocent little arms dealer, that's all. I'm sure you don't provide anything else in exchange for protection.”

Sykkuno was confused. “We just stick together as a team because it's fun. We can visit and hang out.”

“Take off your suit,” 420 suddenly demanded.

“Greek,” Mendo said, rolling his eyes. “Don't – ”

“I said, give us the suit, Sykkuno.”

“My suit?” _It's just a hazmat suit. There are more at the base._ Sykkuno began undoing the straps and zippers. “Okay, hold on.”

“Good,” 420 said as it dropped to the ground. “Very good. Now the rest.”

“The rest of what?”

“Those clothes. Drop 'em.”

“What?” Sykkuno squeaked. “My clothes?”

“Greek, don't do this again, jesus.” Mendo sighed. “Why are you like this?”

“The boss didn't say we couldn't. What does it matter?”

“He's our leverage, Greek.”

“Well, I'm not going to harm him. Don't make me ask you again, Sykkuno.”

Sykkuno's hands trembled as he undid the buttons on his plain woven shirt, confused and afraid. “I can make you guys clothes too. I'm good at making stuff.”

“Shut up and drop your pants.”

Sykkuno felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. “No, please, I – ”

420 hit him, a hard slap across the mouth. Sykkuno's head whipped to the side and he bit his tongue so hard that he tasted blood. “I said, drop your fucking pants.”

“Okay. Okay, I'm doing it. I'm doing it, don't hurt me!”

 **420** : _we're making him naked._

“Greek, for fuck's sake – ” Mendo rubbed his forehead. “This is stupid.”

“It's not stupid.”

 **Valkyrae** : _what the fuck?!_  
**ludwigahgren** : _greek, you son of a bitch, don't you fucking dare_  
**420** : _he's pretty_  
**Valkyrae** : _..._  
**420** : _are you jealous yet Corpse_

Mendo crossed his arms. “Is this about your pissing match with that Corpse guy?” he asked his teammate. 

“I'm just having fun.” Greek smiled. “Plus, if we get him mad enough, he'll have a harder time trying to plan something stupid. We're helping the boss.”

“He won't do anything stupid when we have Sykkuno. I'd be more worried about Rae. She'll smell a trap a mile off.”

“By then it'll be too late for her.”

Sykkuno could barely breathe. He was wearing nothing but his skimpy underwear now. He'd been so warm in his hazmat suit but now he was cold all over. “Wh-what do you mean? He's not planning anything. They're going to come give you your stuff back. A-and then you'll let us all go. Right?”

“Oh, you poor, sweet, _stupid_ thing.” Greek's voice dripped with derision. “You think the boss is going to be satisfied with a couple of guns and some bags of junk?”

“He just...he just wanted his stuff back.”

“He wants _revenge_ ,” Mendo said quietly. “They waited too long. He ran out of mercy. Not that he ever had much to begin with.”

Sykkuno looked at him speechlessly. “You...you mean...”

“It's a trap. And you're the bait, Sykkuno. They'll do anything for you. They're going to come, and we're going to kill them. One by one. Shoot them down like the dogs they are.”

 _Oh god, Corpse._ “No!” Sykkuno blurted. His messenger lay on the floor. He grabbed for it, but too late. Greek's foot came down on it, inches away from Sykkuno's fingers, smashing the screen to smithereens. The last thing Sykkuno saw was a desperate message.

 **Corpse Cat** : _if you touch him, Greek, I will kill you myself._

The tears finally started to fall. “No,” he whimpered. “No, no, please...Corpse...Corpse, stay away, don't worry about me...”

“If you're lucky, we might keep you alive,” Mendo said.

“Mendo, you wouldn't kill me. You know me. You helped me.”

“I do what the boss says.”

His wrist was seized again. They pulled him over to one of the beds. Mendo took out a pair of handcuffs and Greek said, “Lay down. Hands over your head.”

What choice did he have? The cold steel was fastened around Sykkuno's wrists, binding him to the sturdy metal bedframe. He shivered. Everything was so cold. 

Mendo sighed. “Greek, the boss wants one of us to go help him at the turret. The sentry says the rescue team is already at I6.”

“You go. I'll stand guard.”

“They might need proof that Sykkuno hasn't been hurt before they get closer.”

“I'm not going to hurt him.”

“I know what you want to do. Look at your fucking messenger. The boss says no.”

“He never lets me have any fun.”

“Greek,” Mendo said warningly, “you know the boss doesn't like it when – ”

“Who's going to tell him? You?”

“He's not stupid. He can check – ”

“Oh, shut up, you fucking bootlicker. Go run to Daddy Goblin and polish his rifle for him.”

Mendo said nothing. He didn't look at Sykkuno as he left. When the door closed, a lock clicked, loud as a gunshot.

Sykkuno held his breath and closed his eyes.

“Stupid fuck,” Greek breathed. Sykkuno heard him pace. “Fuck him and fuck xQc too. He'll take all the good loot and leave us nothing, as usual.”

“I could make you something,” Sykkuno offered, seizing his chance. “Just ask anyone. That's all I do, I make stuff and give it away. I just want everyone to get along and leave my team alone.”

Greek laughed. “You'd have better luck if you offered something else.”

“Like what?”

Greek sat on the edge of the bed. Sykkuno opened his eyes and looked at the man's face.

“You can't possibly be that naive,” Greek said. “Not in this world.”

“I don't understand.”

“You know,” Greek said, his eyes scanning Sykkuno's face. “I actually believe you.” His eyes crawled down Sykkuno's body. “But why would you need brains when you look so cute?”

Sykkuno went cold all over. “No,” he whispered as the truth of the man's intentions hit home. “Greek...please don't...”

“You look prettier with your mouth shut.” Greek's hand, rough and calloused, ran down Sykkuno's chest. “Or maybe you'd look prettier with your mouth _full._ ”

“Y-you said you wouldn't hurt me.”

“I'm not going to hurt you too much, sweetheart.” His hand went between Sykkuno's legs, touching him through his underwear. “But we have a little time to kill before your friends get here, and I want to have some fun.”

Sykkuno tried to kick him. It was stupid, it was desperate, but he'd never been touched so intimately before, and having it done against his will was the worst feeling he could imagine. Worse than the time a stray bullet had grazed his leg in battle and opened it. Worse than the time he'd fallen from his horse, when Corpse had carried him in his arms back to their base to nurse him back to health with his med kit.

Greek only laughed. “A little fight will be fun, too,” he said, and casually pulled Sykkuno's underwear down. “I bet you'll be nice and loud, too. If you're good, maybe I'll convince the boss to let you live. I deserve a reward, don't I? Try not to cry, it looks ugly.”

“No! No, please!”

Greek laid on top of him, his weight pressing him into the bed. He kissed Sykkuno's neck. Sykkuno choked on a cry, struggling to pull away from that disgusting wet mouth dragging over his skin. The kiss turned to a gentle nip, and then Greek was sucking at his throat, a painful mockery of a sensual act. 

“Please don't, please...I'll do anything. Not this. Please. I've n-never...” Sykkuno gagged as Greek's hand cupped his soft cock and stroked him as if trying to give him pleasure.

“Just pretend I'm Corpse,” Greek whispered mockingly, and his fingers dipped lower, touching Sykkuno where he'd never even touched himself. “Close your eyes and pretend I'm your precious Corpse.”

“Corpse would never hurt me,” Sykkuno choked out. “You're sick. You can't...”

“Oh, but I can. And I want to.” Fingers brushed against Sykkuno's nipple, pinching and twisting until he cried out. “God, I want to.”

Sykkuno could feel the truth of that pressing against his naked hip. Vomit rose in his throat, the acid burning. He squeezed his eyes shut. Maybe if he pretended he was somewhere else, it wouldn't be so bad.

A war horn sounded. Greek's eyes shot open. “That's not possible,” he blurted. “The sentries, they never raised the alarm – ”

Sykkuno held his breath. Greek looked at him mutely, confused, blank-eyed now that his plans had been thrown off.

Gunfire shattered the silence. Greek leapt up, cursing, and grabbed for his messenger. Sykkuno lay trembling, listening to the shouts and screams, the sound of bodies hitting the floor. The messenger beeped over and over and over again, a flurry of messages. Greek breathed heavily, typing back. And then suddenly the beeps grew fewer, and fewer, until they stopped. 

A new sound. The steady _thwap-thwap-thwap_ of a helicopter overhead. Who had a helicopter? What was happening? Sykkuno cringed at the sound of bullets spraying against the ground.

“How did they...” Greek looked frightened now. “The boss...our sentries...the traps...”

Bullets clanged against the door. _They're not going to shoot their way in,_ Sykkuno thought. Wooden doors might splinter into sawdust, but this door was heavy reinforced steel.

Greek must have had the same thought. He glared at Sykkuno like it was his fault the rescuers had gotten so close. “They have to make a deal. They have to. There's no way they can get in here to save you,” he said. “Not without – ”

“Get down!” someone screamed from outside. “Light it and get down!”

Greek's eyes widened and he threw himself away from the door just in time.

With a huge blast, the door crumpled inward like it was made out of an aluminum can. The shock wave rattled Sykkuno's teeth in his skull. Light spilled in, and smoke, so acrid it stung Sykkuno's eyes.

“Get back!” Greek shouted, fumbling for his gun, struggling with his shaking hands. “Stand down or I'll – ”

Corpse stepped through the wreckage of the door, eyes blazing.

“No!” Sykkuno screamed. “He has a gun!”

Greek raised the muzzle. Too slow. His hands were shaking. _He never expected to get caught._ Corpse grabbed the gun and swung the handle against the side of Greek's head. He went sprawling on the floor with a spray of blood.

Corpse turned to Sykkuno, naked and chained on the bed. The colour drained from his face as he saw the red finger marks on Sykkuno's arms where they'd grabbed him, and the darker mark on his neck where Greek had sucked at his skin like a leech.

Sykkuno could have sworn that he saw Corpse's eyes glow red.

The man on the floor groaned and moved feebly. “Corpse, I didn't – ” he started, and that was all that he had time to say. Corpse knelt next to him, wrapped his hands around Greek's throat, and squeezed.

“You fucked up,” Corpse said, soft and deadly. “If you hadn't touched him I'd kill you faster, but you fucked up.”

It took a long time. Longer than Sykkuno would have thought. Corpse stared down at Greek's face the entire time with a frightening intensity. Greek made an awful wet clacking sound in his throat. His eyes went red, bulging out of his head, and his skin went from pink to purple to a terrifying sick blue. He beat at Corpse's arms with his fists as his feet drummed against the floor. And then he went stiff, shaking all over. 

And then, finally, he went limp.

Sykkuno stared at the dead man's face. Already, it was going waxy, like the faces of fallen soldiers he'd seen. Dead people didn't look peaceful, like they were sleeping. Dead people just looked dead. Greek's eyes were wide, staring, bloodshot.

“Sykkuno,” Corpse said, and for the first time he sounded weak. “Are you...what did he...”

Sykkuno pulled at his bonds like he could break free. He wanted to cry. “Corpse, I never meant for this to happen.”

“Hold on, baby. Hold on, I've got a key.”

The handcuffs opened, and Sykkuno jerked his hands free. The cuffs clanged against the floor and Sykkuno sat up, desperately covering himself with his hands.

“I'm sorry,” Sykkuno whispered. “Corpse, I'm so sorry, it was a trap, I couldn't say anything. I never meant to be captured.”

“It's okay.” Everybody said that Corpse's voice was scary, but right now it sounded like music. “It's not your fault, Sykkuno. Nothing is your fault.”

Corpse ripped the cloak from his shoulders and wrapped it around Sykkuno. Sykkuno clutched it gratefully. It smelled like gunsmoke and rust and blood, but underneath that, it smelled like Corpse. It smelled like home.

Corpse pulled Sykkuno to his feet and hugged him. His hand stroked Sykkuno's hair.

“Did he...did Greek...” Corpse was trembling. 

“He didn't,” Sykkuno said against Corpse's shoulder. “He...he was going to...but he didn't. He just...touched...”

Corpse made a choked sound and held him closer. They stayed like that until Sykkuno heard a familiar sweet, high pitched voice outside, calling Corpse's name worriedly in her Aussie twang.

“Corpse? Sykkuno? Where are – oh!” Ash pulled up her helmet and stared at the scene, the dead man on the floor. Rae appeared behind her. She smirked at the sight of Greek, but then she saw Sykkuno wrapped in Corpse's cloak and the smirk faded.

“We have to go,” Ash said, more softly than Sykkuno had ever heard her. “They're bringing the chopper in case Sykkuno is hurt.”

“I can walk,” Sykkuno whispered. They didn't hear. 

Corpse said for him, “I can take him on my horse. Tell Toast and Scarra that they should take Ludwig and Welyn instead. They're injured.”

The girls nodded and left. 

“Is anyone dead?” Sykkuno asked, fearing the answer.

“Nobody on our side.”

“And...xQc's team?”

“All dead. Every last one of them.”

“It was supposed to be a trap,” Sykkuno said. “They were going to kill you...”

“They were outnumbered ten to one. It's hard to run from Toast and Scarra when they're sniping you from a helicopter. Mendo found that out, and so did all the sentries.” 

“How did you get so many people to come?”

“Because of you,” Corpse said. “Because everyone knows you, and everyone loves you.”

“Oh.” Sykkuno swayed on his feet dizzily. Corpse wouldn't let him fall. 

“I'm sorry,” Corpse whispered to him. “I'm so fucking sorry. Greek and I...I knew him. I knew what he wanted. He was jealous. But I never thought...”

“It's not your fault, Corpse. It was mine. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going.”

“Not your fault. You've never done anything wrong in your life.” Corpse cupped his chin, tilting his face up. Sykkuno looked into his eyes and knew that the nightmare was over.

“I want to go home,” Sykkuno whispered.

“I'll take you there,” Corpse promised. “You're safe now, and coming home.”


End file.
